Washington Capitals 2017 draft

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Capital Gains

Washington Capitals 2017 draft

Post by Capital Gains »

The 8th overall pick was a pretty popular pick in the EHEC. After receiving no less then 7 offers about moving the pick, the Capitals thought long and hard and decided to keep the selection and they were happy that they did.

Defenseman Miro Heiskanen from Espoo Finland played in the Finnish Elite League as a a 17 year old and was described by his coach, Antti Törmänen as the club's best defenseman and by Central Scouting's Goran Stubb as the best European defenseman by far in the draft. He was described as the following type of player by a rival NHL Scout.

A two-way rearguard that plays with strong mobility, speed and awareness…carries the puck confidently up the ice and into the offensive zone…makes very good passes, finding his teammates quickly and without hesitation in all three zones…takes quick, accurate wrist shots from the point…good foot speed enables him to keep gaps close…keeps his man to the outside…struggles with a lack of strength…displays pretty strong awareness defensively making quick stick checks to interrupt plays and then quickly turning the play back up ice…a minute muncher who shows high level intelligence and decision making…a potential top four blueliner.

Another scout said the following about Heiskanen.
He’s a cerebral puck mover with above-average speed who is rarely caught out of position, and he accumulates shots and chances by aggressively dropping down well below the dots. Heiskanen is a very good outlet passer and plays with poise, but his impeccable positioning, especially on the penalty kill, is just one of the many reasons why he was entrusted with critical situations despite being one of the youngest players in Finland’s top league. Both his wrister and slap shot are hard and accurate. Heiskanen is strong with his footwork — cutbacks, pivots, edges, etc. — and he is capable of outskating a backchecker as he joins a rush. Strong enough to win most of his one-on-one battles, Heiskanen will finish checks or use developing upper-body strength to pin and hold long enough for support to arrive.

It appears that the Capitals got themselves a player who isn't flashy and might not put up huge numbers on the score sheet, but he will play in all situations and be a 20+ minute man every game.

37th overall Lias Andersson comes from the HV71 in the SHL. He’s got a knack for being in the right spot at the right time, isn’t afraid of contact, and is always around the net. He has slick hands and a very high hockey IQ. I hate the terms “hockey IQ” without backing it up so here’s what I mean by that: He finds the soft spaces on the ice regularly and when there’s holes in front of the net or in dangerous areas he finds them. His quick hands allow him to find all types of goals around the net -- even when he’s bull-rushing himself to the front of it -- and he has a sneaky good snipe from the outside. He’s also a little underrated, I would say, passing the puck. How his passing transitions onto the smaller ice surface in the NHL remains to be seen, but by the look of some of the below goals, the kid isn’t going to have an issue in front of NHL nets. Offensive ability aside, Andersson is very stable in his own end. He’s a quality two-way player, already, and there’s surely more learning to come on that front with another year of development in the SHL.

After the pick I reached out to a plethora of draft experts who all raved about his two-way game. While most agree Andersson probably will not be the best player on your team, many think he’s a sure-fire top-six player at the very least. Some even think Andersson could make a real case at sticking in the NHL this season. Not that it’s expected, but that’s how polished the SHL has made his game.

40th pick Henri Jokiharju played for the Portland Winterhawks of the WHL and here is what one scout who broke down a few phases of Henri's game.

Skating
Henri Jokiharju is a very good skater. He has excellent edge work and pivots which allow him to transition from offence to defence quickly and efficiently. They also allow him to cover huge amounts of ice. Jokiharju has a very good first step, and excellent acceleration. He wins races to loose pucks and quickly starts the transition game. His speed is very good, going both forward and backwards. This allows Jokiharju to join the rush, or pinch in at the blue line, and get back defensively.

Offensive Game
Jokiharju is a solid puck handler. He can lead the rush or join in as a trailer. He also has the poise to quarterback the play from the blue line. Jokiharju keeps his head up and makes smart passes. He can make the long stretch pass in transition, as well as make a cross ice pass to set-up a one-timer for a teammate. Jokiharju possesses excellent vision, the smarts to see plays developing before they happen, as well as the skill to fit the puck through tight openings. He makes those passing lanes a little less tight, through his excellent lateral mobility and poise with the puck.
One area that Jokiharju can greatly improve is his shot. He rarely uses his slap shot or one-timer, but when he does, it lacks power.  He really needs to improve both his technique and his upper body strength for this to be more of a weapon for him. Instead Jokiharju uses his wrist shot. It is accurate and has a quick release, but it also has a lack of power.

Defensive Game
Jokiharju has very good positioning and gap control. He keeps his man to the outside and away from the dangerous areas of the ice. His good lateral agility, makes him very hard to beat in one-on-one situations. An active stick helps him to cut down passing and shooting lanes. Jokiharju is aggressive physically despite his small frame. He battles hard in the corners and in front of the net, and is also willing throw big hits. However, he really needs to bulk up if he is going to play with this same physically aggressive style at the next level.

Projection and Comparison
Jokiharju has the potential to be a top four defenceman in the NHL. If he continues to develop, he can play on the power play and the penalty kill. He needs to add some muscle to his frame though, and could stand to really work on his slap shot and wrister going forward. That may limit him to being more of a second unit, than first unit power play defenceman. In terms of style, he is reminscent of Tomas Kaberle in terms of offensive game, but is much more physical and aggressive in the physical game.

Judging from the Capitals first 3 picks, the Capitals rebuilding venture has gotten off to a very good start.
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